


Keep you safe

by Cats_Dont_Float



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-09-27 10:30:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20406256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cats_Dont_Float/pseuds/Cats_Dont_Float
Summary: When the nightmares get too bad, and all Dave can see when he closes his eyes is his Bro, Karkat is there to help him.





	Keep you safe

It's midnight, and the city has fallen into darkness, stars scattered across the pitch black sky overhead. You sit on the edge of the roof, legs swinging off of the edge of it, and stare at the rooftops that spread out before you. Everything is so quiet and peaceful, aside from the occasional sound of a particularly loud car moving down a nearby road. There's a sword laying on the roof by your side, starlight glinting off of the blade. You have your fingers resting gently on it, prepared to fight at any second if needed.  
Your body aches from the fights with Bro that day. Bruises mark your limbs and face, and there's still dried blood on your face. You don't know whether your Bro is awake or not. You have no idea if he's even in the apartment. But you do know that if he catches you up here and not in your room, he'll make your life even more miserable than it already is. That thought makes your breath catch in your throat, and you start to panic. You tighten your grip on your sword, the cold feeling of the blade against your skin calming you slightly, and continue to stare up at the stars.  
You reach up to your face, and slide the shades off of your face, casting them aside. They tumble to the floor, and you never want to look at them ever again. They're too much like your Bro's; the same triangular shape and the same dark lenses that hide your eyes from the whole world. You hate how much you resemble him sometimes. And yet you still sometimes feel that childish urge to be like him; he is the only role model you've ever had, after all.

You sit there for hours, staring ahead into the darkness and listening to the sounds of the city at night. Up on the roof, away from the world, you feel like you can just take a break from everything. Your phone sits by your side, and messages flicker at the top of the screen, the light just visible in the corner of your eye. There's a few messages from John, and one that you're ignoring from one of the group of trolls that keep messaging. You don't answer John. What can you say to him when you feel so bad? You can't reply to him, pretending to be fine, when you're pretty sure you've got a few cracked ribs right now. You continue to ignore the troll as well. You're bored of their nonsense.

Eventually, you stand up off of the roof, sword swinging loosely from your hand. It's starting to get cold up on the roof, and you figure you should probably go inside before you get even colder. You head back into the apartment with a little too much confidence, convinced that your Bro's probably gone out to drink like he usually does after your fights. You let your guard down because of that, and are completely unprepared when your Bro suddenly emerges from his room. You end that night laying on the living room floor, with more than a few new injuries, trying to hold back tears because you know he'll punish you if he hears you crying.

********

Eight years later, you sit on a different rooftop, staring up at a starry sky that is so different to the one you used to know. A breeze stirs around you, and you shiver in the sudden coldness of it. Your cape blows out behind you, and your shades sit by your side, reflecting the light from the sky above. Your Bro's voice echoes in your head, old memories making your heart race. Your hand reaches for a sword that isn't there, your fingers closing around empty air. You panic more then, feeling defenceless out there.  
A small sound makes you jump out of your skin, and you almost scream when a hand lands gently on your shoulder. Then suddenly a small person sits down by your side, and you let out a shaky breath as you realise it's just Karkat, and you know he'd never hurt you.  
"Dave?" He murmurs, his voice quiet and cautious, as if he's worried he'll do something to upset you. His eyes are wide, red irises reflecting the light of the distant stars. "You're thinking about him again, aren't you?" He says, his voice sad. He knows you went to see Dirk earlier, and he also knows that that almost always upsets you.  
"I can't help it," you murmur slightly defensively, and then suddenly you feel your eyes water, the lump in your throat shifting as you suddenly burst into tears. Instantly there's an arm tightly around your shoulders, and you slump against Karkat's side.  
"You're not living with him anymore," he says quietly, "You're living with me, remember? You live with me on Earth C, and you're safe. Nothing's going to hurt you. Not whilst I'm here with you. I'm going to keep you safe, I promise you that." You cry harder at that, burying your face in his shoulder as he continues to murmur similar things. With Karkat's arm tight around your waist, and his other hand running rhythmically through your hair, you slowly start to calm down, taking in shaky breaths as you try to control your crying.  
"I love you," you eventually manage to say between small sobbing noises, because you just feel like you need to tell him that.  
He murmurs, "I love you too," quietly into your ear, using his thumb to wipe the last few tears from your face, and presses a kiss to your cheek. "You're freezing cold," he says, one hand squeezing your shoulder slightly, "Please come inside." You look up slowly, and see the concern in his eyes. He just wants you to be happy and safe. So you nod, and once he's stood up you let him grab your hands and help you to your feet. He doesn't stray far from your side as you both head inside.

There's a small lamp on in your bedroom, casting shadows on the walls that are far too big and strangely shaped for your liking. Staring at them for a few seconds makes your eyes play tricks on you, and you swear there are things lurking in the darkness, waiting for you to let your guard down before they attack. You realise after a few seconds that you've stopped in the doorway, and are just staring into the room, eyes following the movements of shadows as the curtains shift in a slight breeze that comes through the open window. Karkat squeezes your hand, and you turn to look at him instead of into the room. With his other hand he reaches round the corner into the bedroom and hits the light switch. The sudden bright light makes your eyes sting, but you breathe out a sigh of relief when you realise the room is now fully illuminated. Then you just let him lead you over to the bed, and sit on the edge of it as he removes your cape from around your neck and folds it up neatly. He picks out clothes from a drawer whilst you stare blankly at the wall, and then puts them in a pile by your side.  
"You want to sleep?" He asks quietly as he helps you pull your shirt off over your head. Instantly you shake your head desperately.  
"No," you mutter, "Its... I can't... nightmares." You sigh, barely able to voice what's troubling you. it was the nightmares that woke you up in the first place. You'd fallen asleep on the sofa and been woken by nightmares before heading up to the roof to try and calm down.  
"Okay," he says, handing you one of your old shirts that you always sleep in. It's far too big and faded in places, but familiar and comfortable, and you pull it over your head with a relieved sigh. As you kick off your trousers, he wanders out of the room, and you instantly feel panic start to rise in your chest again. But within a few moments he's back with the softest blanket in the house and your laptop. 

The two of you settle on the bed together, and he pulls the blanket up over both of your shoulders before loading up a movie on the laptop screen. It's an old comedy that the two of you have watched before, but the loud sounds of laughter tracks in the background distract you from most of your thoughts, and you let out a shaky breath as you feel the last waves of panic finally fading away.  
"Karks," you murmur, barely loud enough to be heard over the movie, but he's obviously listening because he turns his head towards you, "I really do love you."  
"I know, silly," he says, "I really do love you too." He presses a kiss to the top of your head, before smoothing down the hair at the back of your neck and putting his arm back around your waist. You drop your head down onto his shoulder, smiling faintly to yourself, and stare at the laptop, paying more attention to the way the colourful lights from the screen burn into your eyeballs than to the actual movie itself. At some point you feel your eyelids getting heavier, but try to fight sleep for as long as possible. Karkat seems to realise what you're doing, and starts to run one hand up and down your side gently, knowing it helps you feel calmer. Eventually, the rhythm of his movements start to lull you to sleep, and you finally let your eyes close. At least this time, if you have a nightmare, you know he'll be there when you wake up. The last thing you hear is the laughter track from the movie, slightly distorted by your exhausted brain, and Karkat murmuring something quietly to you that you can't quite understand. You fall sideways slightly, and fall asleep, safe in his arms.


End file.
